Life-Study of Psalmsby Witness Lee

LIFE-STUDY OF THE PSALMS

MESSAGE THIRTY-SIX

GOD'S RECOVERY OF HIS TITLE AND RIGHTOVER THE WHOLE EARTHTHROUGH THE REIGN OF CHRIST

Scripture Reading: Psa. 93101

Psalms 93 through 101 are a group, a cluster. If you read these nine psalms carefully, you will see that the first eight of them are very similar. They are like one psalm, for they speak about the same thing with the same voice, tone, and emphasis. Psalm 101 is the conclusion to this cluster of psalms, showing how Christ will reign and judge in His kingdom. These psalms are on God's recovery of His title and right over the whole earth through the reign of Christ.

Teachers and students of the Bible agree that the Bible is centered on Christ. If we have an intrinsic understanding of Genesis, for example, we will see Christ in this book. Likewise, Christ is unveiled in the book of Leviticus. Dr. Scofield has pointed out that every page of Leviticus shows us Christ. However, in order to see Christ in Leviticus, we need a proper guide who can give us the necessary teaching. In this matter we are like the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 who was reading Isaiah the prophet. Philip asked him, "Do you really know the things that you are reading?" (v. 30). The eunuch replied, "How could I unless someone guides me?" (v. 31a). If we would clearly see Christ in the Psalms, we need a proper guide.

We need to realize that the Psalms is a book which is very strong concerning the unveiling of Christ in God's economy. However, in our reading of the Psalms, it is easy for us to think that the Psalms help us to be godly and pious, to worship, praise, and thank God, and to behave ourselves. Actually the Psalms are not for such things. Rather, the Psalms use these things as a background for the revelation concerning Christ.

In Book 1 of the Psalms we see Christ with some stress on God's house (27:4). In Book 2 we see Christ with God's house and God's city. In Psalm 48 the city is strongly emphasized. In Book 3 we have not only Christ, the house, and the city but also the earth. The last psalm in Book 3, Psalm 89, says that Christ will come to reign and to possess the whole earth from the sea (the Mediterranean) to all the rivers, indicating all the places, of the earth (v. 25). We have pointed out that the seventeen psalms in Book 4 are in four groups. The first group, which includes Psalms 90 through 92, is on the deeper experience of God in the identification with Christ in taking God as our habitation. The second group, Psalms 93 through 101, shows us that God will recover His full title and right over the earth through the reign of Christ.

The front page of the daily newspaper indicates that today's world is filled with darkness and sinfulness, with person fighting against person, society against society, and nation against nation. But Psalms 93 through 101 shout joyfully that God will recover His title and right over the whole earth. God has the right over the earth because the earth with all its fullnessall the different peoples, regardless of race or colorwas created by Him. Thus, He is the Possessor of the earth and holds the title deed. He has the full right to claim the earth, and He will do it through the reign of Christ. According to Psalm 101, Christ will reign and judge in lovingkindness and justice.

Psalm 94:15a says, "Judgment will return unto righteousness." This indicates that on earth today judgment has gone astray from righteousness, but when Christ comes back to reign, He will bring in justice and will cause judgment to return to righteousness. Christ is with us in the church, but today's world is without Christ, and for this reason the world is evil, dark, and sinful. However, the coming reign of Christ will make a great difference throughout the earth. Instead of injustice and unrighteousness, there will be justice and righteousness.

Let us now consider some matters related to God's possessing the earth through Christ and then look one by one at Psalms 93 through 101.

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Living Stream Ministry publishes the works of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, providing the authoritative and definitive collections of treasures from these two servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. The writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee focus on the enjoyment of the divine life, which all the believers possess, and on the building up of the church, the goal of God's work with man in this age.

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Common words, such as "and", "is", "but", and "the", also known as noise words, are bypassed in a search. A list of all noise words is as follows: